Directors

Larissa is Executive Director and Professor of Humanitarian and Conflict Studies. She is a scholar and practitioner with over two decades of experience at the intersection of research, policy, and practice related to humanitarianism, conflict, and peacebuilding. Her research examines the causes of and responses to violence against conflict interveners, such as aid workers and peacebuilders, the role of data and technology in humanitarian settings, and ways to make intervention more effective, ethical, and responsive to local needs and context.

Birte joined the academic staff of HCRI in 2016. She is the Editor of the HCRI Policy Brief Series and was previously Assistant Editor of the Taylor and Francis journal Peacebuilding. Her two recent, co-edited books reflect her general research interest in the intersection of economics and peace and conflict studies and humanitarianism (Economies of Peace, Routledge, 2019), as well as her interest in the ethics of conducting research in conflict-affected societies (The Companion to Peace and Conflict Fieldwork, Palgrave, 2021).

Adele completed a Doctorate in Education at the University of Manchester in enquiry-based learning and dimensions of contextualized power within higher education teaching and learning environments. Her current educational projects are: the development, piloting and assessment of a European training package, focused on operational team training, and training-of trainers of emergency medical teams within low-income countries and resource-poor settings; and arts-based community education in fragile contexts in Nairobi, Soweto and New Delhi.

Jessica's teaching centres on histories of humanitarianism and war and conflict with a focus on displacement. Her current research interests lie in the historical sociology of camp formation. This traces the concepts and themes which underpin modern forms of incarceration such as refugee camps and linkages to the camps of the past. She is also interested in the pedagogy of humanitarianism examining how we teach difficult subjects related to violence conflict and displacement. In particular she's researching the value of student research visits to conflict affected societies.

Darren's research interests are in emergency care system development and capacity building. He has been involved in the WHO Emergency Medical Teams project and supported the WHO Emergency Care System Assessment process. He is a Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Wythenshawe Hospital and a Royal College of Emergency Medicine representative on the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee supporting the UK ambulance services.

Humanitarian aid historian Bertrand founded HCRI in 2008. His research focuses on the history of humanitarian medicine. A member of the scientific committee CRASH, he's written articles on the history of humanitarian work, exhibitions and cultural manifestations. He edits the European Review of History: Revue européenne d'histoire, Journal of Humanitarian Affairs and founded and leads The Humanitarian Archive at the Rylands. He's an editor of the book series Humanitarianism: Key Debates and New Approaches, and Cultural History of Modern War for Manchester University Press.

Amanda has an MSc in Education from Hofstra University (2007), an MA in Humanitarianism and Conflict Response (2011) and a PhD (2018) in Humanitarianism and Conflict Response from HCRI at The University of Manchester. Amanda has worked with HCRI throughout her PhD as a tutor across modules and has now joined as a Lecturer in Global Health. Her research focuses on education and humanitarianism. Her interests also include global health, disaster response and the history of humanitarianism.

Miriam joined HCRI in 2023, prior to which she was an Associate Professor at the Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals. Her research examines international responses to conflict, violence, and migration, and she is the author of two books: Protecting Civilians in War: The ICRC, UNHCR, and their Limitations in Internal Armed Conflicts (OUP 2016) and The Politics and Everyday Practice of International Humanitarianism (OUP forthcoming/2023).